After Kirk Muller was traded near the end of the 1994-95 season, Keane was named as the 23rd captain of the Montreal Canadiens. Keane was subject to media scrutiny after speaking to Mathias Brunet of La Presse (a French language newspaper). Keane declared that he had no intention of learning French.[3] During the 1995–96 NHL season, Keane was traded along with Patrick Roy to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Jocelyn Thibault, Andrei Kovalenko and Martin Ručinský. He won his second Stanley Cup that season, helping the Avalanche defeat the Florida Panthers in four games in the Finals. Keane spent another season with the Avalanche, before becoming a free agent in the summer of 1997. He signed with the New York Rangers, where he played for half a season before being traded again to the Dallas Stars. Keane played in Dallas until 2000–01, helping the Stars win the Stanley Cup in 1999 and return to the finals the next year. He started the 2001–02 NHL season with the St. Louis Blues but finished that season back with Colorado.

Keane stayed in Colorado until he left for the Vancouver Canucks at the start of the 2003–04 NHL season. Keane signed with his hometown team, the Manitoba Moose, for 2004–05 AHL season. Keane played 6 seasons for the Moose. He was named captain in 2005 and remained Manitoba's captain until July 20, 2010 when his contract was not renewed. Keane was also captain of the AHL All-Star Team Canada in 2007. Keane's number 12 jersey was retired February 12, 2011 when the Manitoba Moose took on the San Antonio Rampage at the MTS Centre. Keane's number is the only number retired in Manitoba Moose history.